The Cure For Fear
by Miyako-san2521
Summary: Dr. Angela Crow began her work at Arkham Asylum as a neuropsychologist, and also as a medical doctor. Unlike other people, she never shows emotion towards others and always spoke calmly and monotonously. What everyone didn't know was that she holds a secret which she never let out to anyone; her alias and what she does when no one's around. Who is she? Or more like...what is she?
1. Chapter 1 - The New Doctor

Chapter 1 – The New Doctor

Jonathan Crane's POV

Another day at Arkham Asylum: meeting new patients, meetings with other doctors, meeting another batch of new patients and using them for my experiments; which I took pride in doing. Using my fear toxin helped further my research on each patient's fears and the fear toxin itself, if the dose needed more concentration for it to work.

I was just in the middle of reading one of my patient's files, with the patient's name, personal details, their diagnosis and background information until the telephone started to ring. I placed the file along with the pile of unfinished ones, and answered the phone with the usual 'Hello?'.

"Hello Dr. Crane, this is Dr. Arkham. You don't mind if I can have a small discussion with you once you are finished with reading the files?" asked said doctor, who was the owner of this asylum.

"Not at all, Dr. Arkham. I will be done in 10 minutes," I answered back.

"Wonderful, I will see you later then," said Dr. Arkham, before he cut the line.

I sighed then quickly went over every unread file, and as expected, 10 minutes were already over. I stood up from my chair, straightened my suit so that I looked professional, then exited my office and made my way up using the elevator. Once I got to the designated floor, I walked all the way to Dr. Arkham's office and knocked twice on the oak wood door, it had a plaque on it which read out his name and position.

"Enter," said Dr. Arkham. I opened the door, only to be greeted by said doctor himself. Sitting opposite him, was a woman with thick raven-black silky hair that reached up to her shoulders.

"Please, take a seat," Dr. Arkham offered. I sat myself down next to the mysterious woman, only to get a closer look at her. Her skin, in my opinion, is an abnormal pale, as if she just came back from the dead. Her eyes are as dark as onyx, with her silver wire-rimmed glasses placed at the bridge of her nose. Her posture is straight, with her hands folded in front of her; she's also wearing black satin gloves, that reached up to her wrists, for some reason. The clothes she wore are all black, minus the lab coat she's wearing on her figure: a black long-sleeved collar blouse with black trousers that reached up to the heel of her shoes which are boots by the looks of it. Her face is fixed with a neutral expression that held no signs of emotion, even her eyes. This mysterious woman piqued my curiosity as I've never met a woman like her in my life, even if I hated to admit it myself.

"So, you are probably wondering why I asked for you Dr. Crane?" asked Dr. Arkham. I knew what the answer to that question was. Judging by this woman, sitting next to me, who is new here.

I just lied, "No sir."

"Well as you can see, this young lady here will be starting work here from now on and I would like you to show her around the whole asylum until she is familiar with each area of the building," Dr. Arkham explained. _Hmm, she is strange. I wanted to know more about her anyway._

"I accept, I will show her around," I answered with a fake smile.

"Excellent," he said, buying it, until he turned his focus on the woman, "Here is your ID badge, a map of the asylum and your office key. Dr. Crane here will show you around the building and to your office. I hope that you will do well here." I saw her putting her ID badge, map and her office key in her…briefcase? The female doctors would always carry handbags with them, not briefcases. This woman really is mysterious and strange.

"Thank you for accepting my job request, it means so much to me, dear sir," the woman said in a monotone voice. Judging by her accent, she's British and her use of formality was sharp and precise.

"No problem. Anyways, off you go both of you," said Dr. Arkham, while he waved his hand as a sign to leave.

I exited the door, the black-clad woman just right behind me. _This woman seems tolerable, unlike the other female doctors here…wait, did I just say that? Oh well, this will be the right time to ask her questions about herself._

" _ **Oh really Johnny-boy? Normally you just want to leave as quick as possible when it comes to introducing new doctors here."**_ _Great, just when I thought things would get worse for me._ Ever since I started making my own fear toxin, that voice decided to make an entrance in my life again and made it even more of a living hell. This voice does have a name, and he goes by the name 'Scarecrow'.

I ignored the voice and started making my way to the elevator, with the new doctor behind me. We both entered the elevator and once I pressed the ground floor button, the door shut closed, and lead us all the way down.

3rd Person's POV

There was silence in the elevator, and not a single sound was made. Dr. Crane was not one for conversations, but if he wanted to know more about this black-clad woman, he must open his mouth and say something. Finally, the elevator door opened and both doctors made their way to the Intensive Treatment Centre.

"Well, since you are new here, I would like us to know each other. What is your name?" asked Dr. Crane.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to me first? It is common courtesy to tell someone their name to who they are talking to," replied the woman.

"Of course, where are my manners? My name is Jonathan Crane, and I normally treat the patients who are considered 'criminally insane'," he said.

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Angela Crow and I am starting my work here as a neuropsychologist and a medical doctor," the woman, named Angela Crow, introduced herself.

 _Amazing, a neuropsychologist and a medical doctor. We never get those kinds of doctors here, except for a few medical nurses. There are only psychologists and psychiatrists here. Angela really must be that of a genius to be able to get a position like that, more like two positions. I'm sort of starting to like this woman a bit. Need to keep this conversation going,_ Dr. Crane thought.

"So, what part of neuropsychology are you interested in?" asked Dr. Crane.

"I'm so glad you would ask me that. It's the Neuropsychology of Fear," replied Dr. Crow. "What about you?"

"Same as you, but in the psychological side of it. It would seem that you and I have the same interests in fear and the study of it."

"It's interesting to see fear in action, mostly when it comes to interrogating patients and finding out what makes them tick. Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger—if we didn't feel it, we couldn't protect ourselves from legitimate threats."

"Indeed, you're right. Tell me, Dr. Crow, what fears you the most?"

"I believe that I don't have a fear of anything to be honest. Anything that people find scary doesn't seem to faze me at all, even in the severest of things."

 _Seriously? She doesn't have a fear of anything? Surely there must be something that makes her tick. Is she even human? Just what is she?_ Dr. Crane thought with utmost inquisitiveness.

"Wouldn't you mind telling me what fears _you_ the most?" this time Dr. Crow asked him.

This question sort of set Dr. Crane on edge. If he told her what he fears the most, he would destroy his ego and pride. So, he kept quiet and instead told her, "Well, all I can say is that there is nothing to fear, but fear itself. I don't think that I can trust you well enough yet to tell you."

"That is understandable, since I am new around here. And I can trust _you_ since you are well-experienced as I am here, so it's normal not to trust someone new yet," said Dr. Crow with true honesty. Dr. Crane was quite shocked at this. Usually the new doctors would never tell him about themselves as they didn't fully trust him, but in the end, it always ended up with them being secretly gassed with his fear toxin. This lead to the asylum requesting for more doctors every single day, as they had thought that they ran or quit the job because the patients here were not so easy to handle with or not able to cooperate with.

"Also, about you being a medical doctor, what part of it do you specialise in?"

"Not only do I have a huge interest in the Neuropsychology of Fear, I have an interest in curing people of diseases." Dr. Crane really was starting to find this woman to be really interesting, the more she talked about herself.

"Is that so? Anyways, let's move on with the tour. Welcome to the Intensive Treatment Centre," Dr. Crane said as they had both stopped in front of said place.

"Here it's housed with Holding Cells, a Patient Pacification Chamber, and even a Decontamination Room," Dr. Crane explained.

"In simple language, here is where the criminally insane patients are being treated," said Dr. Crow with the usual monotone voice.

"Exactly, and I have a feeling that some of the patients you are assigned with are criminally insane, so you would mostly be spending your shift here or in your office. Meaning that you and I might be working together at some point, depending on what Dr. Arkham has to say about this due to your high profession so to speak."

Angela Crow's POV

Hmm, working with Dr. Crane doesn't seem all that bad, because he works here. However, when I asked him about what he fears the most, he just said that common quote "there is nothing to fear, but fear itself" as if he doesn't trust me at all. I mean, who wouldn't trust someone new anyway, it's nature.

After Dr. Crane gave me a tour of the whole of the asylum, which included: The Intensive Treatment Centre, the Rehabilitation Centre, the Dining Area, the Recreation Room, the Therapy Centre, the Shock Therapy Room, the Operating Theatre and the patients' cells, he lead me to my office which was located opposite his office.

I got out my new office key from my briefcase (because it's more durable. The idea of using handbags, in my opinion, is too feminine to my liking and unprofessional.) and unlocked the door.

Once I entered my new office, I looked at all that was placed in here. It consisted of a simple oak wood desk, a bookshelf, a filing cabinet and a clock on the wall.

"Since your office is opposite mine, you can come over anytime if you need any help with something or anything at all," said Dr. Crane.

"Thank you for the tour today, Dr. Crane. I really appreciated it," I told him with sincerity.

"Just doing my job. Well, I will be seeing you tomorrow on your first day."

Before he was going to leave, he then said, "Also, just to give you a warning, most of the new doctors who enrol here may never come back after their first day. So I suggest you be more careful with what you may come across during your time here. Have a good night, Dr. Crow." And with that he left.

After I had a quick look around my office, and left the asylum, I reflected on what he said about some of the new doctors who never came back after their first day. _Don't you worry Dr. Crane, because you don't even know what I am capable of, and…what I do._


	2. Chapter 2 - Unusual Sympathy

Chapter 2 – Unusual Sympathy

Angela Crow's POV

Everyone would say that fear can't be cured, unless they tried to get rid of that anxiousness that builds up in their stomach like a huge, crashing tidal wave. To me, I've always believed that fear can be cured. It just takes someone with that special ability to be able to make it happen. So to speak, fear is important, as it helps us sense when we are in trouble; the fight and flight response.

Ever since I lived in Gotham for about 3 years, I've seen people get killed or tortured by criminals roaming around in the Narrows; which is where I live, in a small house in the alleyway. Since not a lot of people lived in the Narrows, it's silence made me feel comfortable, minus the sounds of a person getting beaten up by a group of thugs. What kind of a place is Gotham? To me, it's corrupted and wasted. Some are blind and do nothing to help those in trouble, even if the police tried to do everything they can to help.

Nowadays, I would see a few dead bodies, splayed out just by my house with blood seeping out from the deep cuts, probably made by a knife and even dark blue and purple bruises probably made by a baseball bat.

All my life, whenever I would see dead bodies, I would always take them in, and cure them. My way of curing is…unexplainable.

Anyways, it was 5 o'clock so I took a shower, brushed my teeth, put on the same clothes as yesterday, made myself some tea, grabbed my briefcase and made my way out of the alleyway, out of the Narrows, and to the city part of Gotham. I waited by the taxi stop for about 5 minutes, until I sensed a presence behind me. I took a glimpse of who was standing behind me, and it just so happened to be Dr. Crane.

He noticed me, then came over to me, "Good morning Dr. Crow, how are you?"

"Feeling splendid, thank you. And yourself?"

"Not bad, just waiting for a taxi."

"Yes, me too."

We both ended our conversation there and it was only silence between us except for the sounds of rushing cars, the chatter of people and the whistle of the wind.

After another 10 minutes, a taxi parked by the curb.

"Would you like to join me?" asked Dr. Crane, gesturing to the parked taxi.

"Certainly," I replied, as I made my way towards him, then entered the backseats of the taxi, followed by him.

"Arkham Asylum please," I stated to the driver, and he started the engine and drove us all the way to said designated place.

Jonathan Crane's POV

The silence was quite awkward, but calming to say the least. While I was checking my briefcase to make sure that I had everything I needed for today, I noticed Dr. Crow open hers, and took out a book which read "The Cure for all Diseases". I also noticed another book in her briefcase which read "Fear and Anxiety in Virtual Reality". _She really does takes her interests seriously, maybe even too seriously. I'll keep that in mind for later, when the time comes._

" _ **So, Johnny-boy. Ever thought about using our fear toxin on her to see if she does have any fears? I'm so desperate!"**_ that voice, Scarecrow, said in my head.

" _Don't call me that, and I know that you're desperate. So am_ _I. But we must be patient about this. We don't even know if Dr. Crow has gained our full trust in us. Once I am certain that she does, then we'll move on to the next phase of our plan,"_ I told him.

" _ **Ok, fine,"**_ Scarecrow said finally, not saying anything else after that. I sometimes found it hard to get that voice out of my head, but he's a part of me. That part of me that made me feel insane, even though I don't consider myself that.

3rd Person's POV

The taxi had passed through the gates of Arkham Asylum and to the parking lot. Dr. Crow bookmarked the page she was on in her book, placed it in her briefcase and got out of the taxi, along with Dr. Crane.

They both made their way to the front doors of the asylum, where there stood two muscular men who just so happened to be the guards.

"IDs please?" said the guard on the left. Both doctors shown their ID badges, then the guards let them inside.

They made their way to the reception, where Dr. Crow had to get her schedule with the patients whom she'll be assigned with, "Hello, how can I help you?" the receptionist asked, not taking her eyes off the computer screen in front of her, her manicured nails typing away on the keyboard.

"My name is Dr. Angela Crow and I am starting my first day here. Please may I have my schedule for the day?" she politely asked her, again with no hint of emotion from her.

"So, you're the newbie? Well, here is your schedule. Oh, and here is yours Dr. Crane," the receptionist gave both doctors their schedules and went back to typing on the computer.

"Thank you," said Dr. Crow. And with that, they both made their way inside the elevator.

"Well, it seems that I'll be in my office for half of the day, and in the Intensive Treatment Centre for the other half," said Dr. Crow, reading through her schedule.

"That means we both have the same schedules. Looks like I'll be seeing you at 6 o'clock at the centre, Dr. Arkham really must trust you with treating the criminally insane patients. Normally, he would never assign a new doctor, on their first day, with a tricky one," said Dr. Crane, whilst straightening out his suit and glasses.

"I see. Well then, I will see you at 6 o'clock then," said Dr. Crow, as a statement instead of as a question.

And with that, the elevator door opened to reveal a corridor of offices. Both made their way to their office in silence, except a few glances from Dr. Crane himself, analysing her from every angle to see any sorts of reaction from her, which led to him not getting any results whatsoever. He's still determined to know more about this woman, even if it meant luring her into a trap, but not yet. Only when the time's right, then could he do it.

"So, I will see you later then. Make sure to be at the Intensive Treatment Centre on time," said Dr. Crane.

"No problem, I will be there on time," Dr. Crow monotonously said, whilst fishing for her keys in her briefcase, unlocking the door after that.

Before Dr. Crow was going to open her office door, Dr. Crane said, "Oh and Dr. Crow? Since we will be working alongside each other every day, we might as well go for calling each other by our first name, if that's alright with you."

"That is alright by me. Besides, I believe that this will help bring our trust for each other, not only just because we will be working alongside each other here."

"Good. Then you can call me Jonathan."

"And you can call me Angela."

After that, they both went back to their own office and began their shifts.

Angela Crow's POV

To save time, I began reading the page where I left off in my book, which I must say is an interesting piece of work. Most books I've read in the past were not that fully detailed as the information given was not exactly clear or completely true. The different kinds of cures given to the victims of the disease were not the kind that I would give to my patients, as they were of no help at all, because they have temporary effects which lasts for up to 4 hours or less.

While I was reading, I heard a knock on my door, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal one of the doctors working here, a male one at that. Judging by his posture, he looked to be shaking when trying to approach me. Yes, when approaching _me_.

"How can I help you, dear sir?" I asked the male doctor standing before me.

"Um, I-I just came to give y-you the files of the patients you w-will be meeting from now on," he said, or more like stuttered.

"Thank you, just place them on my desk," I told him monotonously.

"O-oh okay," he said, placing the files shakily on my desk.

"May I ask you what is your name? My name is Dr. Angela Crow."

"N-nice to meet you Dr. Crow. M-my name is Dr. Adam Hatton."

"Well, Dr. Hatton, next time you approach me, don't be that hesitant towards me, even if I look like the kind of person who gets annoyed very easily by others wanting to communicate with me."

"N-no! I didn't mean to be that way towards you. It's just, well…"

"Well what, Dr. Hatton?"

"Well, it's just that, you're unlike the other female doctors here in Arkham Asylum."

"Is that so?" _I wonder what he meant by me not being like the other female doctors_.

"Yes, I mean I saw you talking to Dr. Crane yesterday and you didn't fawn over him like other women would, j-just because he is attractive and stuff." _So, that's what he meant by me not being like the other female doctors. Women these days, when they are on the job, really must focus more on what they're doing instead of fawning over attractive men. How moronic._

"So, what you're saying is, Dr. Crane is popular with women because they admire him for his appearance, and not his intelligence level."

"W-well, yes that's right."

"To be honest, I'm not the kind of woman who admires another person for their appearance, but what their interests are."

"R-really? Well I-," he couldn't be able to finish his sentence, because a knock was made on my door.

I told the person outside to come in, and the door opened to reveal one of the guards of the asylum, "Hey doc, you have your first patient."

"Thank you, dear sir."

"Oh please, call me Cash, Aaron Cash."

"Very well then, Mr. Cash. Please bring in the patient."

Dr. Hatton left as soon as the guard came in with the patient, and I must say that this patient is an interesting one at that. I looked over the file with a picture of the patient and found out that his name is Edward Nigma, his last name originally being Nashton, and is very well-known as the Riddler. This will be very interesting.

Cash was about to put Edward in his restraints until I told him, "No, don't put him in the restraints. Let him have the freedom to move."

"But what if he tries to do something rash to you?"

"Don't worry about me, I've dealt with a lot of patients who are considered criminally insane, _and_ have seen them in action. You can leave."

"Alright doc, if you insist. But if you ever need any help, you can call me anytime."

"Thank you."

Cash left after that. I then turned my attention on Edward who was analysing me with those tantalising green eyes of his. I took out my tape recorder and pressed the record button, "Patient Interview 1. Patient's name is Edward Nigma, also known as the Riddler. Hello, my name is Dr. Crow. How are you feeling today Mr. Nigma?"

"Awful, if you can put it that way."

"I see. Also, I see that you have a huge obsession with riddles, as it goes by your alias."

"Why yes. Riddles and puzzles are my speciality. Want to hear a riddle?"

"Go ahead."

"My first is often at the front door. My second is found in the cereal family. My third is what most people want. My whole is a union. What am I?" _Hmm, trying to test me with a hard riddle. On my first interview with him. He really wants to prove that he is the best. At least I already know the answer to that riddle._

"Easy. It's matrimony. Mat, which can be found at a front door. Rye, part of the cereal family. And money, which is what most people want. Put together those three words, and you get matrimony, which is a union in other words."

"Correct! Not any one of these puny psychologists here could solve this riddle, but you did. Also, this was one of my hardest riddles. I'm impressed."

"Thank you. It is said here that you leave riddles and puzzles for the 'Batman' to solve, is that correct?"

"Yes, but I knew that Batman would never solve my riddles, because _mine_ are genius!"

"But you ended up getting captured by him, and brought back here, because he managed to solve your riddles. He ends up saving all of the hostages, as it says here in this file, whom you considered dumb or stupid."

"That's because he cheated! He always has! Why do you think he has all these high-tech gadgets and his own car? And I take a few people who prove me wrong hostage, so that I can test their intelligence level by asking them riddles. If they get the answer wrong, then they die. If they got it right, they get a harder one."

"I see you're trying to gain attention from anyone who prove you wrong and that you are the only one with the intelligence that overpowers others. Let me ask you, do you know _how_ this 'Batman' got all these gadgets?"

"Of course, I do. The citizens of Gotham believe him to be the hero…well guess what, he is a criminal. No different than Joker, Two-Face or myself. And what I mean by him being a criminal…it's because he takes the money stolen by the criminals he defeats. Why does Gordon turn a blind eye to his antics? Batman bribes him!"

"I see."

"Most people are idiots. They can't see Batman for the villain he is. Let me ask you. What do _you_ think of the Batman?"

"Well, I've never seen the Batman, but I have heard of him from rumours. A man dressed in a bat suit, with high-tech gadgets and a car like you said before. I believe he is someone who people look up to. Someone who people will depend upon."

"Exactly, someone who people depend upon. Don't you find that a bit stupid, depending on someone dressed in a bat suit whom could most likely be a criminal?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Like I said, I don't know this Batman very well."

I checked my watch and found out that my interview with the Riddler had come to an end. With that, I pressed the stop button on my tape recorder and placed it by the stack of files.

"Thank you for your time with me Mr. Nigma. I'll be seeing you soon for another interview with you. Take care of yourself."

"Oh, you take care of yourself too, Dr. Crow. Who knows whenever another patient of yours tries to strangle or torture you until you can't take it. Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you, dear doctor. You're a very interesting person to talk to you know. Others are too scared to face me, the Riddler, just because I am better than them." With that said, Cash opened the door and dragged Edward harshly by the arm and out of my office.

I made a few notes whilst I was interviewing the Riddler and found out that he seeks attention, leaves riddles here and there for Batman to solve, captures hostages whom he claims dumb and stupid or have proved him to be worthless.

I checked through the other files with the patients I'll be interviewing next, whom were mostly diagnosed with schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, as well as those who murder people for their own enjoyment.

 **3 hours later**

After finishing off my session with a schizophrenic patient, Cash came into my office saying, "Hey doc, it's your break time. It's only a 2-hour break."

"Thank you for telling me Mr. Cash. You may leave," I told him. He left soon after that.

I decided to finish reading my book for half of the hours I have left to spend for my break. However, 15 minutes later, a knock was made on my door.

"Come in," I said.

The door opened to reveal…

 _ **I put a cliffhanger there, so you will know what happens in the next chapter. Sorry for the long wait. I don't own the Dark Knight Trilogy or the Batman comics. All of them belong to their rightful owners. Thank you. ~ Miyako-san**_


	3. Chapter 3 - A Walk in the Park

Chapter 3 – A Walk in the Park

Angela Crow's POV

The door opened to reveal Dr. Crane, or should I say Jonathan, with his briefcase in hand, "Hello Jonathan. Nice to see you again."

"You too Angela. I see you're still reading that book," Jonathan said, while looking at the cover with interest.

"Why yes. It's truly a fine piece of work. It talks all about the different kinds of diseases discovered before and now. It also talks about its origin and how it affects each part of the human body in detail," I said.

Jonathan entered and closed the door and sat down in one of the chairs in front of me, placing his briefcase on the table.

"How were your interviews with your new patients?" Jonathan asked me.

"They were good. At least each patient was different, otherwise it would be tedious and my job here will not be that very interesting when working with patients who all have a similar diagnosis."

"That's true."

We were both silent for the next 10 minutes so I continued reading my book, until Jonathan broke the silence by asking me a question, "Which of your patients do you find interesting?"

Without taking my eyes off the book, I said, "Edward Nigma. He really is something. I admire his intelligence and wit, though his anger needs to be sorted out a bit because he tends to have temper tantrums; mostly whenever he talks about the Batman and how he 'cheated' when solving Nigma's riddles and puzzles. He is a genius I will give him that. What about you?"

"I would say Victor Zsasz, since he's one of my mentally insane patients and my first one. I'm sure you must've heard of him through the papers."

"Yes, I have. He is a serial killer who kills with his knife and then carves a tally mark, for each victim he killed, on his skin. He seems interesting to me," I said, still not taking my eyes off the page I was currently reading.

"If you like, I can introduce you to him when we start our shifts together at 6," Jonathan offered.

"Thank you," I said, then we ended our conversation there. Until then, I had an idea, "Jonathan, would you like to spend some time with me at the park? We only have 1 hour and 35 minutes left of our break to get to know each other more and gain our trust between us."

Jonathan looked like he was thinking about it, judging by the calculating look in his eyes. I wonder what he would be thinking, but I'm not going to enter his mind and find out straight away; time will tell when it's the right time to do so.

3rd Person's POV

Jonathan was thinking about what Angela had just told him and took this as the right time to get to know more about her and somehow find her weak spots, for his plan to work; find out what she _really_ fears the most and use that against her, somehow be able to break through that monotonous façade of hers and see her true colours.

"Very well. Why don't we go to Gotham Park? There's not much people there today," Jonathan replied after several seconds of thinking.

"That's fine," Angela replied. With that, they both grabbed their briefcases and went their way to Gotham Park by taxi, which took them nearly 15 minutes to get there.

They've arrived at Gotham Park. Like what Jonathan said, there were not a lot of people. Both walked together, with a few people in the surrounding area giving a few glances here and there. They ignored them and just kept walking all around the park. During their walk, Angela began to hum a song which, for some reason, nerved Jonathan quite a bit. This is because, what Angela was humming to was not just any simple song; it was a church hymn. Jonathan started to feel uneasy with Angela humming that church hymn for it made him trigger something inside that made him remember things he tried to forget a long time ago.

"You do realise you are breathing quicker than normal," Angela said breaking the silence, at the same breaking Jonathan away from his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. How did you know I was breathing quickly?" Jonathan asked, for he knew that he didn't make any sound when he was breathing.

"Simple. Your chest was heaving up and down faster than usual. I don't have to hear to know that you are breathing quickly."

Jonathan regretted asking that question. Not only did he make a fool of himself in front of Angela, but he slowly started to lose his strong ego one chip at a time.

"You don't need to feel like a fool when asking me such a question like that. Besides, I'm a neuropsychologist and I know my job." Angela said without hesitation and emotion. _Wait, how did she know I made myself feel like a fool when asking her that question? I'm supposed to be the one asking her that, but she didn't make any sort of reaction since we came here,_ Jonathan questioned in his mind.

Until they found a bench, they both sat down, putting their briefcases underneath them. After sitting there for 5 minutes in silence, Angela decided to break it, "So, Jonathan. Other than your job, what do you do in your free time?"

"I pretty much do more research on the Psychology of Fear and apply that knowledge to finding out what my patients' real fears are," Jonathan replied, hiding the fact that his fear toxin is the reason behind all this.

"Interesting. For me, I just find cures for certain diseases that are very hard to cure; I have my _own_ methods," Angela said, putting emphasis on 'own', which made Jonathan even more curious about her.

Before Jonathan was going to ask her the No. 1 question, that kept bugging his mind, which was, "What do you really fear?", the sound of sirens blared right behind them. Jonathan turned around to see what was going on, only to see that a couple of police officers were dragging along some criminal, who looked to be in his mid-40s, into the police truck. Angela didn't even take a glimpse of what's going on for she wasn't all that interested. While Jonathan was distracted, Angela can smell something coming right from underneath; it was Jonathan's briefcase.

Jonathan turned around to see Angela still sitting with her head facing forwards, in her straight posture and her gloved hands folded on her lap.

"You were going to say something, Jonathan. What was it?" Angela questioned him.

"I was going to ask what you really fear, since, well, your answer didn't seem clear to me," Jonathan answered.

"I see. Well, to be honest, I really don't have a fear of anything. Some fear things because they've had a bad experience with them, while some are scared because they don't want to know what will happen. In my case, I don't see what there is the fear in this world, even if this world is cruel yet somehow beautiful in its own way; without man-made things." Angela answered truthfully, no lies given away in her eyes, as Jonathan could tell (much to his displeasure).

Out of nowhere, a crow landed in front of the two doctors. Angela didn't even flinch once the crow landed and made a 'caw' sound, however, Jonathan flinched only a bit. Inside, he's feeling uncomfortable and felt the need to get out of here for this crow made him relive more of his memories of what happened on _that_ day.

"You're flinching now. Are you sure you're alright?" Angela asked, already aware of what's inside Jonathan's mind and why he's flinching suddenly. Angela concluded why, but she's not going to tell him now…not yet.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just work and all. Working in Arkham Asylum for 7 years can get you frustrated," Jonathan lied, trying to hide his growing anxiety which he hated.

"Why don't we go to a café and have a nice cup of warm green tea? It can help you," Angela advised to him. Jonathan nodded at that, then they both got up from the bench, picked up their briefcases and made their way to the café nearby.

 _ **I don't own the Dark Knight Trilogy or the Batman comics. All of them belong to their rightful owners. Thank you. ~ Miyako-san**_


	4. Chapter 4 - Insanity in Action

Chapter 4 – Insanity in Action

3rd Person's POV

They arrived at the café, only to find no one in there except for the cashier. Angela ordered her green tea, as well as Jonathan, and then went to a table at the back corner of the café. This café is the one Angela normally goes to, because less people come here and it's most of the time quiet and empty. Whilst she was drinking her green tea, Jonathan was staring at his cup in thought, "Jonathan, are you not going to drink your tea?" He didn't respond after that; he was having an internal conversation with Scarecrow, unaware of Angela's concentrated gaze on him. Angela knew that he was having some internal conversation with his mind because of the faint expressions he gives at times; knitted eyebrows, small grimace of the lips, and not to forget the slight scrunching of the nose. She waited until he was done whilst drinking her tea.

It took him 2 minutes, estimated by Angela, to finish his internal conversation, "Are you done Jonathan?"

Jonathan looked up from his cup and looked at her as if nothing happened before, "Yes, just spaced out. That's all."

"Well, I would suggest you drink your tea before it gets cold. You wouldn't like tea when it's cold."

Jonathan smirked at this, "You are very analytical. No wonder Dr. Arkham took an interest in you."

"I believe so. So, before you started work at Arkham Asylum, what did you do?" Angela asked him, before taking a sip of her tea.

"I used to work as a psychology professor at Gotham University. It was only for 3 years. I mainly did some practical work with my students," Jonathan replied, also taking a sip of his. "What about you?"

"I used to work in a hospital back in London for 9 years, then I went to Georgia and worked as a psychopharmacology and medical professor at a medical university," said Angela.

 _Georgia_ , Jonathan thought.

"After working there for 3 years, that's when I came here and worked as a professor for medicine and neuroscience at Gotham University which lasted only 2 years for me," Angela continued, already aware of Jonathan's concentrated gaze on her. He was not the only one studying her behaviour for Angela was doing the same to him, but less than him.

Angela checked her watch and found out that they only had 20 minutes left of their break, "Looks like we have to get back to Arkham Asylum. Our break is almost over."

With that, they made their way outside, found the nearest taxi stop, then got into the taxi and made their way back to the asylum in silence once again.

The sky started to get darker in shade and blacker in colour. The street lamps lit up the road, with skyscrapers adding vivid colours to the brightness of the city.

Both doctors arrived at the asylum, already making their way to the Intensive Treatment Centre. Jonathan didn't forget the promise he made with Angela, regarding her want to have a closer look at Victor Zsasz and closely analyse him. Jonathan led her to one of the cells holding most of Gotham's most-wanted criminals. Inside one of them was Edward Nigma, Angela's new patient. Zsasz was found two cells down the aisle.

They both approached his cell and Angela took a very close look at the well-known sociopath, slouching on his bed with quite a crazed look.

"Since you will be working alongside me, you will also be interviewing some of my patients with me," said Jonathan, whilst adjusting his glasses.

"Does he reveal what he thinks about when being interviewed?" asked Angela, already talking about the housed patient in front of them.

"He does, but sometimes. You're lucky that he is the first patient you will be interviewing, so you will find out what he's like. Also, here is Zsasz's file," Jonathan replied.

With that, Jonathan unlocked the cell and they both entered the room, whilst Angela was reading the file.

Angela Crow's POV

I can tell that this is going to be one interesting interview. A patient classed as insane and a sociopath; time to see insanity in action.

I noticed a guard who was standing in front of a patient's cell opposite us. Once I got his attention, I motioned with my hand to come towards me, "Would you be so kind as to remove the handcuffs for us?"

"Um, I'm not so sure about that, Dr. Crow. He is a sociopath and must be restrained at all times," the guard said nervously.

"Don't worry, you can trust me. I've dealt with many patients like Zsasz and had no problems. We'll call you if we have any problems," I told him, making sure that he's not fully underestimating me. Who wouldn't anyway?

"Why remove these restraints from me, when I could actually kill you straight on the spot?" came the voice of Zsasz.

"I can tell by your intentions that you need something to help you kill us, since you always use a knife for killing your victims. Be glad that I gave you the freedom to move." I told him.

"Even without my knife, I could still kill you," Zsasz countered back, sitting up. Already the restraints had been removed, allowing him to move.

"Is that so? How exactly?" I asked him, already aware of Jonathan staring at me and then at Zsasz, without moving his head. I took this time to read what his answer will be, and so far, there was nothing. Just as I thought.

"Just as I thought. You mainly kill women, isn't it? Which explains why you said you wanted to kill me instead of Jonathan. But I know that you kill anyone you like, female or not. Tell me, why do you do this?" I asked him while not breaking eye-contact with him."

"You can say…it's my way of liberating them from their pointless existence. I see no reason for these zombies to even exist. Their lives are petty and worthless," he replied, whilst his eyes grew a hungry look in them. _Most things written about him are not that detailed. I will ask Jonathan about this afterwards_ , I thought.

"So clearly speaking, you have no regard for human life. Also, what makes you think that their lives are petty and worthless, as well as calling them zombies?"

"You don't seem like other humans, Dr. Crow. I enjoy hearing the lace of fear coming out from their mangled throats. Their fear for what I will do to them; always trying to restrain me. Yet you gave me the _freedom_ to move when you could've just restrained me when you had the chance, because I can do it you know." Zsasz started to get up from the bed and walked slowly towards me, trying to intimidate me. But without his weapon, he won't be able to scar his skin with another tally mark.

"I would suggest refraining yourself from trying to kill her," Jonathan said, making sure that Zsasz listened.

"Why not, Dr. Crane? She seems…different from other humans like you. She seems more interesting than you are. At least she didn't ask me about my childhood, or my social life. She even let me out of my restraints, unlike you, and she even made quicker predictions than you did. Dr. Crow, I think we will get along _quite_ nicely."

"I'm going to repeat my question for you. What gave you the impression that these people are zombies and that their lives are petty and worthless?" I asked again, already noting his small lack of attention. He clearly seeks for slaughter of humans by breaking their minds until their walls crumble. Fascinating.

"They are zombies, continuously shuffling through the daily grind. Waiting for someone to liberate."

"Hence why you decided to do the liberating for them."

"Exactly. All that matters is the mark."

"It says here that you leave your victims in a kind of pose, after finishing them off."

"They were all lucky to be chosen to receive my gift."

"Interesting. Anything else on what you like to say about that?" He went silent soon after that.

"He sometimes does that. He's been like that since I first had him as my patient," said Jonathan.

"I see. Well then, thank you for your time Mr. Zsasz. We will see each other again for your next appointment," I said, gathering all my things and heading out through the cell door, with Jonathan in tow.

Jonathan Crane's POV

Why must Angela be so hard to crack? Even when she faced Zsasz, she remained calm and collected. She even piqued Zsasz's interest in her, even though he had no regard for human life. You really are a mystery, Angela Crow.

"Your patient clearly doesn't respond all too well with these therapy sessions. It's obvious that he hates getting help, and wishes to be all alone most of the time. I would suggest sedating him a little, but not much as the last time, and record any signs of him being a threat. He is a serial killer for sure, however, his motives can mean otherwise," said Angela, and I must say, her suggestion will help with my case in keeping Zsasz here at the asylum for intensive treatment, instead of taking him to Blackgate.

"Thank you. Anyways, I must go somewhere important. I've been told by Dr. Arkham that you will be spending most of your time in the morgue. We just received a few patients who had gone insane, and hurt themselves for some reason and needed to be checked upon further notice," I told her, hiding the fact that I'm going to my office.

"That's fine, see you later," Angela said, then made her way to the morgue.

Once she was gone, I made my way back to my office, already expecting _him_ to be there waiting for me. I already know what he's going to ask me about.

Angela Crow's POV

I was on my way to the morgue and once I entered, there was no one there. There were only unconscious men laid out onto each operation table. Already aware that no one would come here, I prepared all the things that I needed for getting these men all "cured".

 **Meanwhile…**

I was all done and put them in the coolers. I had a purpose for doing that…I already knew why these men had gone insane and how. All I needed to do is to find out who's behind this, and I have a possible lead. Once the time is ripe, I _will_ take action.

 _ **I don't own the Dark Knight Trilogy or the Batman comics. All of them belong to their rightful owners. Thank you. ~ Miyako-san**_


	5. Chapter 5 - An Old Friend

Chapter 5 – An Old Friend

Bruce Wayne's POV

Just left the League of Shadows – or what's left of it anyway. I only accepted Henri Ducard's offer to join them so that I can learn to become invisible. After temporarily retiring my position as Batman, I knew that by exploring the world could I gain more knowledge and understanding of how some people live their lives when in deep struggles and why this world has come to what is now chaos.

I neared the small runway where my ride will be waiting. As expected, Alfred, my butler, exited the plane to meet me. Alfred was like a second father to me, ever since I was born.

"Master Wayne, you've been gone a long time," said Alfred, that same British accent I grew to know and hear.

"Yes, I have," I said.

"You look very fashionable, apart from the mud." I smiled at that. I got on the plane and sat myself down opposite to Alfred, already looking outside the window as we started to go higher and higher.

"Are you coming back to Gotham for long, sir?" Alfred asked me.

"As long as it takes. I want to show the people that their city doesn't belong to the criminals and the corrupt."

"In the depression, your father nearly bankrupted Wayne Enterprises combating poverty. He believed his example could inspire the wealthy of Gotham to save their city.

"Did it?"

"In a way. Their murder shocked the wealthy and the powerful into action."

"People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy. I can't do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man…I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, destroyed. But as a symbol…as a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting."

"In which you chose bats, because they frighten you. Have you learnt to come out from that fear, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked, which kind of set me off, but not completely. After that experience with those flowers that made me see my true fears, I was still not sure of whether I had come over that fear at all.

"Pretty much," I responded, not wanting to make a full confirmation on that topic. "Have you told anyone I'm coming back?"

"I couldn't figure the legal ramifications of bringing you back from the dead."

"Dead?"

"You've been gone seven years."

"You had me declared dead?"

"Actually, it was Mr. Earle. He's taking the company public. He wanted to liquidate your majority shareholding. Those shares are worth quite a bit of money."

"Well, it's a good thing I left everything to you, then."

"Quite so, sir. And you can borrow the Rolls, if you like. Just bring it back with a full tank," he said, making me smile, after all that serious talk about Gotham and all the sudden changes. I wonder how Rachel is doing after not seeing her for so long.

 **Meanwhile at The Solomon Wayne Courthouse…**

Angela Crow's POV

It was 9:00am and I'm at the courthouse with Jonathan, who asked me to help support his side of what to do with Victor Zsasz. I agreed and got along with it. Jonathan also said that the advice I gave him on what to do with Zsasz the next time he's interviewed will help in keeping him at the asylum, instead of taking him to Blackgate. Apparently, we have some competition because the District Attorney's intern, Rachel Dawes, believes that Blackgate is the best decision for Zsasz's rehabilitation.

Miss. Dawes had already said her testimony, now it was Jonathan's turn to speak, "In my opinion, Mr. Zsasz is as much a danger to himself as to others, and prison is probably not the best environment for his rehabilitation."

"Very well. Anything else you would like to add to that?" asked the judge.

"Yes, but Dr. Crow will have a say in this," Jonathan said, as I already made my way to the booth.

"Your Honour, after my first interview with Mr. Zsasz, I already learnt that he has a disregard for human life and that by keeping him in Blackgate will not be suitable. If he's armed, or not, and nearby people he could eventually kill at will, then it will cause a major catastrophe for the other rehabilitants. My recommendation is that by keeping Mr. Zsasz in the asylum for further interviewing under Dr. Crane and myself, and further medical therapy under my name could we help with curing his mental illness. That is all, Your Honour," I finished off with a bow and walked down to sit next to Jonathan.

"Alright, I have made the verdict. From now on, Victor Zsasz will be rehabilitated back in Arkham Asylum for further therapy under Dr. Crane and Dr. Crow. Also, I give permission for Dr. Crow to use her medical expertise with curing Zsasz from his mental illness. That is all," finished the judge as he got up and left. I glanced to where Miss. Dawes was sat and already could tell that she was not pleased with the verdict. Jonathan and I both got out of our seats and left the courtroom.

Whilst we were amid leaving, Miss. Dawes was after us, "Dr. Crane."

"Miss. Dawes," Jonathan countered back. I just walked alongside him, not saying anything and just listened.

"You really think a man who butchers people for the mob and when free doesn't belong in jail?"

"Dr. Crow and I would hardly have testified to that otherwise would we, Miss. Dawes?"

"This is the third of Falcone's thugs you've had declared insane and moved into the asylum." She came around to stop Dr. Crane from moving, whilst speaking.

"The work offered by organised crime must have an attraction to the insane." Jonathan was not in the mood to deal with her. I started walking as a sign for Jonathan to follow, and he did.

"Or the corrupt." After those three words, that's when I saw Carl Finch, the District Attorney.

"Mr. Finch. I think you should check with Miss. Dawes here just what implications your office has authorized her to make. If any," Jonathan said, before walking away. But he stopped, noticing my still form. I nodded my head in a motion that told him that I will be with him in a few minutes. He nodded back and went to the other side of the building, while I directed my attention to Mr. Finch and Miss. Dawes.

"You must be Dr. Crow, am I right?" asked Miss. Dawes.

"Yes," I said in reply, "My name is Dr. Angela Crow, neuropsychologist and medical doctor of Arkham Asylum."

"I'm Rachel Dawes and this is Carl Finch, the DA," she said. Before she could say anymore, the DA intervened and said something along the lines of 'what are you doing?' but then Miss. Dawes told him to wait along the side so that she can talk to me. I am not one for social interactions, but I am getting a sense that our conversation will lead to talking about the verdict made by the judge.

"Dr. Crow, I just want to talk about with you quickly on the verdict, because I feel that this is getting out of hand-," She was going to finish, but I put up my gloved hand to tell her to stop speaking.

"I understand that your views on the verdict are disagreeable, but we have so many psychologists and doctors to treat them from their mental illness. Always remember that I'm doing my duty as a highly-trained professional in the field, and I'm not exaggerating on my pride in this case; I'm making a valid point because I've been a doctor for so many years and I know what I'm doing. So please, do not question a statement that you know the answer to for I can tell that you are a smart being for your age and that you are still learning. Let this be a new lesson for you," I warned her before leaving her all shocked, and I also saw the DA all shocked as if he'd never seen someone talk so calmly and monotonously before.

I made my way to where Jonathan was waiting, only to see him talking to one of the lawyers in our defence for the trial we had.

Jonathan Crane's POV

I was talking to one of the lawyers who helped defend the case in keeping Zsasz in Arkham Asylum, however, what annoyed me was his sudden interest in Angela when he met up with her before the trial. Most of what he said was all about her; her appearance, her personality, her intelligence, etc. To be honest, I didn't blame him about what he said about Angela, also by the fact that she's unlike any other woman in Gotham who are attention-seekers, flirts, spoilt brats of rich families, and the list goes on and on. It got to the point where I had to intervene and change the subject based on the agreements made by the judge and the report we - Angela and I – had to make.

" _ **Someone's a little jealous,"**_ Scarecrow teased, which made me feel even more annoyed.

" _Shut up. He's just one of those people who lure people into their trap and use them for their own desires. That's why I was annoyed. Besides, you should've known about that already since we saw him do that when he left the bar that night all drunk and we were leaving Falcone's place,"_ I said.

" _ **Well, you can't deny it. I don't."**_

" _What makes you say that?"_

" _ **Angela peaked your, I mean 'our', interest in her and ever since it's the end of our shift at the asylum, you just keep thinking about what her possible fears might be and what she might be hiding behind that emotionless fa**_ _ **ç**_ _ **ade of hers. We are also going to be luring her into our own trap but you still haven't put thought in that either."**_

" _I don't deny it, it's just that she's unlike anyone I've ever met and I promised myself not to associate with any other woman after my last year as a senior in high school."_

" _ **Who knows, you might break that promise at some point this year."**_

" _What do you mean?"_ Scarecrow just laughed in my head and stopped talking. Just after that, I noticed Angela make her over to where I was, and the lawyer also turned his head where he could see her as well. He smiled with a noticeable blush on his cheeks at her, but Angela didn't smile back but nodded her head in greeting. I smirked at this.

"Hello Dr. Crane. What were you two gentlemen talking about?" Angela greeted then asked, not calling me Jonathan for we are to keep it professional when amongst others, most concernedly this lawyer. I was going to tell her, but the lawyer beat me to it. I really wanted to gas him with my toxin, but I know that he is needed when I'm to face a trial against someone else.

"We were just talking about the agreements made by the judge and-," he stopped mid-sentence for Angela had her gloved hand up to silence him. I still wonder why she's wearing those black gloves.

"I was directing that question to Dr. Crane, for I was looking at him and not at you. Also, you were going to interrupt him before he was going to speak. You must be patient and know when it's your turn to speak," My smirk grew a bit more, because she just put him in his place and embarrassed him to the point where his cheeks began to turn even more red along with his ears.

The lawyer answered with a hesitant 'sorry' and looked down in embarrassment. Angela looked at me as a sign to tell her what we were talking about.

The ring of a phone alerted the lawyer, and he picked it up, only to then leave the courthouse in a hurry.

"This lawyer of yours clearly doesn't know how to secure his hormones very well," Angela commented which made me laugh slightly.

"You are right about that, because while we were talking about the trial, he talked non-stop about you as well," I said back. Let's hope that this will get some reaction from her. But she didn't tense up or anything.

"This is a daily occurrence for me. Every man I greet or pass by has this same reaction. This isn't the first time I had these conversations with someone talking non-stop about me," Angela replied back, with no emotion whatsoever. When was the last time she ever showed some form of emotion or reaction? "Anyways, I must leave now, because I have to meet up with someone in a few minutes."

I replied with an 'alright' and walked with her to the outside of the courthouse. We both said our goodbyes, then parted ways after that. I didn't tell her that I was also going to meet up with someone, and that someone is Falcone. He obviously wanted to know about the drug shipments. He thinks he has all the power just because he is a crime lord, when he can easily be made vulnerable. When _he_ comes to Gotham, Falcone will not be powerful for much longer.

3rd Person's POV

The sky was dull as usual, with a few dark grey clouds dotted at random to add to the vivid but depressing visuals of the whole of Gotham, even the Wayne Manor.

A taxi made its appearance, and this alerted Alfred for he was outside tending the flowers in the garden. Alfred left whatever he was doing and made his way to the front door of the manor, already expecting someone to be there.

"Ah Angela, how wonderful to see you again," came Alfred's greeting. He can see that she just came from work, with her briefcase in hand and one of the books she was reading during her 20-minute trip.

"A pleasure to see you again as well after a long time, Alfred. I see you are still the butler of this manor," said Angela, her face never changing. Alfred knew all about Angela since the day they met. It all started in England when she was working at the hospital and Alfred was her patient because he ended up getting an accidental gunshot to the shoulder and it had to be removed surgically by her. After that, they started getting to know each other for so many years before she departed for Georgia and became acquaintances, then became friends after that.

"Indeed. Looking after the Wayne Manor was my main priority, as well as the master of that manor. Anyways, would you like to come in?"

"Of course. That's why I came all this way," replied Angela, making her way towards Alfred and up the staircase to the manor.

Both entered the living room and made themselves comfortable on one of the sofas.

"So, how was work at Arkham Asylum? Surely it was not that bad."

"It's not so bad compared to the previous asylum I had to run before passing my position as director to Dr. Smith. Let us hope that he didn't cause a major catastrophe and that he kept everything in check," Angela answered monotonously, which Alfred understood why.

"Haha, he can be quite careless. Reminded me of the time you first introduced me to him when he was your intern. Such a sweet boy. Also, do you remember about that time I joked that you and he make a good couple because he always stared at you wherever you go?"

"I still remember, but it doesn't faze me in the slightest. You should've known that by now."

"Yes, I know. I respected you from the beginning and still do today because you never change, which is something I don't, or anyone for that matter, see in anyone."

After their conversation ended, the opening of doors alerted them both. Angela knew very well that it was Bruce Wayne who came through the door, otherwise there would be the sound of the doorbell. She first heard of Bruce since the day she came to Gotham through a phone call from Alfred.

Both made their way to the front of the house to see Bruce take off his jacket.

"Hey Alfred, how was the garden work?" asked Bruce.

"Almost done, sir. Also, let me introduce you to an old friend of mine. This is Dr. Angela Crow, a neuropsychologist and medical doctor at Arkham Asylum," That was when Angela stepped closer and bowed to him slightly in greeting in a polite manner. Bruce looked flattered from the gesture and tried to flatter her by grabbing her hand and kissing it, but she kept her hands to her sides instead. Alfred intervened by putting Bruce's empty palm gently away and gave him a look that meant 'leave it'. Bruce shyly smiled in embarrassment and just told Angela to follow him to the living room and told Alfred to make tea.

They both sat down in silence for 2 minutes until Bruce decided to break the silence, "So, how are you finding Gotham so far?"

"With crime on the streets every day and night, the sky with no burst of sunshine and Arkham Asylum getting new inmates after every arrest, then I would say that Gotham is pretty interesting. Also, the hygiene in some areas are deplorable." Bruce was quite shocked with the lack of emotion in her tone of voice, as well as her face to be unreadable – even her eyes. She is unlike any other woman he had brought to whatever occasion he had to attend.

"Anyways, I know about you being the Batman and all," said Angela, and Bruce was now even more shocked at what he just heard, however, some part of him told him that Alfred must've told her about that as they are both long-time friends.

"And yes, Alfred did tell me that you are the Batman,"

With that said, Alfred appeared with a tray of tea and a smile, as if telling them that he heard their conversation. He set the tray down and sat opposite them, and cleaned his hands from the sweat that built up from all the hard work he had been doing.

"So, have you by any chance seen me as Batman or-," Bruce said, unsure of what her reply will be.

"No, I haven't seen you in person or when passing by, but I have heard of you. Not only through Alfred, but obviously through the newspapers," Angela replied, already sipping on her tea. Bruce tried to find some sort of interest in him being the Batman in her, but found nothing; she's like a puzzle with so many twisted tracks and traps, like most of the Riddler's riddle rooms that Bruce had to complete to save the hostages.

"Angela, would you like to see the Batcave?" asked Bruce, putting his unfinished teacup down and facing her, who put down her finished teacup.

"That would be a pleasure. I'm hoping to see more bats in this cave compared to the number I encountered back in England," came Angela's reply, which Bruce thought was her own way of telling a joke which really wasn't in her case. She was serious.

"Ok, well then. Alfred, would you like to come?"

"No thank you Master Wayne, I still have gardening to do. You go on ahead with her," said Alfred, with the tray in hand and preparing to leave the living room.

Bruce and Angela arrived into the break room where there was a piano, some antique chairs and a grandfather clock. Bruce got to the piano and pressed a few keys, and suddenly, the grandfather clock moved out of the way to reveal the entrance to the Batcave.

Both arrived to the Batcave and Angela took this moment to feast on every single part of the cave as well as the bats which hung on the ceiling.

"If I may ask, which of the criminally insane patients in Arkham Asylum are you in charge of?" asked Bruce, who was fixing his cowl for the Batsuit.

"I'm in charge of Edward Nigma. He really is interesting once you get to know him a lot better. I'm assuming that you qualify him as insane all the way to the top," she said, as a statement instead of a question.

"Well…yes."

"Let me tell you something. Everyone is different, and are all brought up differently. We can't really blame then for being insane in the first place, because there is always a part of their story that tells it all. If you take Nigma for example, he was always mistreated as a child by his father and the children at his school. He tried to fit in with other children, but his interests made him repel people and pick on him more. For Zsasz, I know for a fact that something had been inflicted upon him in the first place, to make him kill and separate himself from other human beings such as yourselves. You don't have to take what I say as serious as such, for this is my opinion."

Bruce was even more shocked about this woman, because her intellect seems to be looked down upon despite being emotionless. He ended up staring at her in amazement and admiration.

Angela moved closer to the area where there are more bats and Bruce was really starting to worry for her for the bats may harm her and such, so he made a beeline over to her but stopped when the bats flew down in Angela's direction. She didn't even flinch even a tiny bit when that happened and just stood still while the bats surrounded her. Some of them perched on her shoulder and her head, which scared a Bruce a bit because he's still trying to get over his fear of bats, but also made him awe at the sight for it made him kind of blush. The bats that perched on her shoulder snuggled their cute, little furry faces against her face and this made Angela look relaxed for she lifted her head up, lifted her arms slightly from her sides and closed her eyes while standing there, allowing the bats to surround and, in a way, seek comfort from her. There is still more to Angela than it meets the eye, and Bruce wants to make sure that he finds out more about this mysterious woman, unknown to the fact that a certain doctor is also doing the same thing as him.

 **Meanwhile…**

"No more favours. Someone is sniffing around," said Jonathan, who sat opposite one of Gotham's well-known crime lords: Carmine Falcone.

"Hey, I scratch your back you scratch mine, doc. I'm bringing in the shipments," replied Falcone, who looked impatient.

"We are paying you for that."

"Maybe money isn't as interesting to me as favours."

Jonathan took off his glasses and smirked before he said, "I am more than aware that you are not intimidated by me, Mr. Falcone, but you know who I'm working for, and when he gets here…"

Falcone interrupts Jonathan for he was not expecting _him_ to be a part of the topic, "He…he's coming to Gotham?"

"Yes, he is. And when he gets here, he's not going to wanna hear that you've endangered your operation just to get your thugs out of jail time," Jonathan replied, but as a warning, not that he cares about what happens to Falcone if he crossed the line.

"Who's bothering you?"

"There's a girl at the DA's office."

"We'll buy her off."

"Not this one."

"Idealist, huh? Well, there's an answer to that too."

"I don't want to know."

"Yes, you do." Falcone then leaned back in his seat and still kept eye contact with Jonathan before smirking at him. "So, I've heard that you have a new doctor working at Arkham Asylum. Dr. Crow, is it?"

Jonathan slightly tensed but that went unnoticed when he also leaned back in his seat but keeping his posture and appearance all professional, "Yes, why?"

"One of your lawyers wouldn't stop talking about her and he was serious about wanting to take her with him. He was desperate and still is. I even heard from one of my men that he spied on you two before you were both leaving the courthouse this morning. How strange that such a woman like Dr. Crow could have such a huge effect on every man she encounters, don't you think?"

Jonathan did not like what he said but remained passive as if this information didn't bother him in the slightest. Angela really was interesting in Jonathan's eyes, and still is, but when other people view her as attractive and describing her as if she is some source of pleasure for men, it disgusted Jonathan to no end; this confused him greatly, because he never ever felt this way when he's around other women, except Angela, and he believed that emotional attraction was just something that will never work out for him for there was a history behind all this.

"If you're thinking that I'm like those kind of people, you are wrong. I only see her as a partner at work and colleague, and nothing more," said Jonathan.

"Is that so? Well, who knows. You might someday regret it," Falcone said, and Jonathan left soon after that in thought of what Falcone had said about Angela and so on. Jonathan left it at that and exited Falcone's house and took the journey back home.

 _ **I don't own the Dark Knight Trilogy or the Batman comics. All of them belong to their rightful owners. Thank you. ~ Miyako-san**_


End file.
